How honourable and how kindly we Determine for her; for Cæsar cannot live To be ungentle. Mess. So the gods preserve thee! Cas. Come hither, Proculeius. Go, and say Lest, in her greatness, by some mortal stroke Would be eternal in our triumph: go, And with your speediest bring us what she says, Pro. Cæsar, I shall. [Exit. [Exit. Cæs. Gallus, go you along. [Exit GAL.] Where's Dola Cæs. Let him alone, for I remember now [Exeunt. 10 He sent Proculeius, and commanded him to do what he could possible to get Cleopatra alive, fearing lest, otherwise, all the treasure would be lost; and, furthermore, he thought that, if he could take Cleopatra, and bring her alive to Rome, she would marvellously beautify and set out his triumph. But Cleopatra would never put herself into Proculeius' hands, although they spake together. PLUTARCH. 11 After Antonius had thrust his sword in himself, as they carried him into the tombs and monuments of Cleopatra, one of his guard called Dercetæus took his sword with which he had stricken himself, and hid it; then he SCENE II. Alexandria. A Room in the Monument. Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, and IRAS. Cleo. My desolation does begin to make To do that thing that ends all other deeds; Enter, to the gates of the monument, PROCULEIUS, GALLUS, and Soldiers. Pro. Cæsar sends greeting to the Queen of Egypt; secretly stole away, and brought Octavius Cæsar the first news of his death, and showed him his sword that was bloodied. Cæsar, hearing this news, straight withdrew himself into a secret place of his tent, and there burst out with tears, lamenting his hard and miserable fortune, that had been his friend and brother-in law, his equal in the empire, and companion with him in sundry great battles and exploits. Then he called for all his friends, and showed them the letters Antonius had written to him, and his answers also sent him again, during their quarrel and strife; and how fiercely and proudly the other answered him, to all just and reasonable matters he wrote unto him.- PLUTARCH. 1 Knave in its old proper sense of servant or slave. Often so. 2 There is some obscurity here, arising from the circumstance that, as Johnson observes, "the act of suicide, and the state which is the effect of suicide, are confounded." The meaning seems to be about this: Voluntary death is an act that bars off all further change; and it puts us in a state where we no longer need the gross earthly sustenance in the use of which Cæsar and the beggar are on level. Nurse appears to be used here for nourishment. Cleopatra is speaking contemptuously of this life, as if any thing that depends upon such coarse vulgar feeding were not worth keeping. So in the first scene of this play: "Our dungy earth alike feeds man as beast." And bids thee study on what fair demands Cleo. Pro. My name is Proculeius. Cleo. What's thy name? Antony Did tell me of you, bade me trust you; but That have no use for trusting. If your master No less beg than a kingdom: if he please Pro. Be of good cheer; * Cleopatra is exceedingly shrewd and artful in this: To throw Proculeius off his guard, she gives him to understand that she is pretty much indifferent whether he be true or not. That is just the thing to make Cæsar feel sure of having her at his command, and so he will be less secret as to his purpose, or what he means to do with her; which is what she most of all desires to learn. 4 As and that, both conjunction and pronoun, were used interchangeably in the Poet's time. Bacon's Essays have many instances of the same usage. Here we should use that instead of as. 5 The meaning is, when you sue to him for mercy, as to a superior, he will sue for your kindness as an ally, and as having an interest in common with him. Praying in aid is an old law term to signify the act of petitioning in Where he for grace is kneel'd to. Cleo. Pray you, tell him I am his fortune's vassal, and I send him Pro. This I'll report, dear lady. Have comfort, for I know your plight is pitied Gal. You see how easily she may be surprised. [Here PROCULEIUS and two of the Guard ascend the monument by a ladder placed against a window, and, having descended, come behind CLEOPATRA. Some of the Guard unbar and open the gates. [To PROCUL. and the Guard.] Guard her till Cæsar come. Iras. Royal Queen! Char. O Cleopatra ! thou art taken, Queen! Cleo. Quick, quick, good hands! Pro. [Exit. [Drawing a dagger. Hold, worthy lady, hold! [Seizes and disarms her. Do not yourself such wrong, who are in this Relieved, but not betray'd. a court of justice for the calling in of help from another that has an interest in the cause on trial. 6" In yielding to him I only give him that honour which he himself has achieved." Th' undoing of yourself: let the world see Cleo. Where art thou, death? Come hither, come! come, come, and take a queen Worth many babes and beggars ! Pro. O, temperance, lady! Cleo. Sir, I will eat no meat, I'll not drink, sir; If idle talk will once be necessary, 8 7 Proculeius came to the gates that were thick and strong, and surely barred; but yet there were some crannies through the which her voice might be heard: and so they without understood, that Cleopatra demanded the kingdom of Egypt for her sons; and that Proculeius answered her, that she should be of good cheer, and not be afraid to refer all unto Cæsar. After he had viewed the place very well, he came and reported her answer unto Cæsar; who immediately sent Gallus to speak once again with her, and bade him purposely hold her in talk, whilst Proculeius did set up a ladder against that high window by the which Antonius was trised (drawn) up, and came down into the monument with two of his men, hard by the gate where Cleopatra stood to hear what Gallus said unto her. One of her women, which was shut up in her monuments with her, saw Proculeius by chance as he came down, and shrieked out, "O poor Cleopatra, thou art taken!" Then, when she saw Proculeius behind her as she came from the gate, she thought to have stabbed herself with a short dagger she wore of purpose by her side. But Proculeius came suddenly upon her, and, taking her by both the hands, said unto her, " Cleopatra, first thou shalt do thyself great wrong, and secondly unto Cæsar, to deprive him of the opportunity openly to show his bounty and mercy, and to give his enemies cause to accuse the most courteous and noble prince that ever was, and to appeach him, as though he were a cruel and merciless man, that were not to be trusted." So, even as he spake the word, he took the dagger from her, and shook her clothes for fear of any poison hidden about her. — PLUTARCH. 8 The meaning of this has been a good deal questioned, and some have thought the text corrupt. I understand Cleopatra to mean, simply, "If, for the nonce, it be worth the while, or if it be needful to waste time in vain words"; implying, withal, that her purpose is action, not speech. Here, as often in conversation, will, I take it, has no reference to the future. Mr. C. J. Monro, however, has given Dr. Ingleby the following snug paraphrase of |